SAMSARA reTREAT

Join us on the beaches of Sri Lanka for a uniquely transformative experience. Enjoy 4 nights and 5 days at Back of Beyond in Kahadamodara, Tangalle. Fresh air, bird songs, lake reflections, ocean waves, and plenty of sunshine await you! We have prepared a special program of yoga, pranayama, meditation, nutrition, massage, reiki, sound healing and nidra-all designed to inspire and facilitate positive change in your daily practices. Email contact.samsararetreat@gmail.com

Jessyca CanizalesJessyca Canizales has been an international educator and learning design specialist for over 15 years, helping learners obtain goals in a variety of areas including movement, improv, dance, and she served as an elementary and special education teacher and administrator in internationals schools for over a 12 years. In 2011 Jessyca, a former dancer, "started yoga". Being a teacher at heart, she knew her calling was to attend yoga teacher training. Jessyca completed her 200RYT with Anna Laurita of the Krishnamacharya lineage. Immediately she started teaching yoga classes around the globe, from south America to Asia, leading well over 200 yogis in their practice and deepening their relationship with yoga. Jessyca is also a reiki master and wellness advocate, consulting individuals in Ayurveda, homeopathic and sustainable holistic living remedies. She delights in meeting all learners, all people where they are and help them embody a path of light to achieve where they want to be! Since becoming a Registered Yoga Teacher she has taught well over 1000 hours across 5 continents. She has continued her yoga training and studies throughout the world, and is currently living in Sri Lanka.

Irina MavrochefalosIrina Mavrochefalos is a London based Nutritional Therapist who qualified at The College of Naturopathic Medicine, London (NT Dip CNM), has a bachelor of science (BSc hons) in Psychology, and is also a Hypnotherapist, Bowen Technique Practitioner and Reiki Master. Over the years she came to understand the importance of preventative approaches on health, and decided to pursue a path in which she would guide people to explore holistic options when trying to cope with illness, as well as help them find the appropriate means that would lead them to achieve their optimum potential, happiness and wellbeing. Her beliefs stand in the Hippocratic view: “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”. She became very passionate about food and nutrition during her Psychology degree, when she began to notice that diet and lifestyle play a big part in both physical and mental wellbeing. Irina believes in the power of education and conscious choices, and has decided to dedicate her life to raising awareness and teaching individuals how to walk on the path towards their ideal selves. In her opinion, people need to take responsibility for their actions, starting with the way the care for themselves, provided that they receive appropriate guidance.

Fiona RaymondFiona Raymond discovered the transformational effect of Kundalini Yoga in South America, having left a stressful job as a lawyer in London. She has been teaching Kundalini Yoga for 14 years, is Level 1 & 2 KRI Certified teacher and is presently an Associate Teacher Trainer in the Aquarian Academy. She writes an inspirational blog with practical ways of bringing yogic lifestyle, philosophy and emotional intelligence into your life. Fiona is a passionate and dedicated teacher whose classes are infused with rhythm and sound. She uses the sacred science of Kundalini yoga kriyas, meditations and Gong to assist students to face life's everyday challenges and relationships. The Gong is a tool that recreates the original sound of the cosmos. This sound bathes the human mind and allows it to go into a very deep, relaxed state of no thought, or theta wave. In this state we heal physically, mentally and emotionally. www.sanasuma.co.uk

Back Of BeyondOur hOMe location for this transformative reTREAT will be in Tangalle. When we bought this 14 acre land in 2008, we named it ‘Monaratenna’ after the flocks of peacocks (monaras) that strutted across it. They are still here, and in larger numbers, as part of the land is reforested and the rest reverted to a dry zone farm. The Urubokka Oya, winds it way down to the sea past our land. The estuary (modara) – which the village is named after – is a few minutes by boat or foot. The beach is broad and filled with character, with not a single tourist around. It’s a lovely place to start and end your day. We have made a special effort to ‘touch gently’ when building our lodges. We have experimented with a range of resource efficient and environmentally friendly material and methods. Our biggest success is being totally self-sufficient in electricity needs via solar power. We have gone over our target and now export to the main grid.